Frito-lay Move Under Fire

BRIEFCASE

February 1, 2000

In a move that has angered farm groups but pleased some environmentalists, giant snack maker Frito-Lay Inc. is telling its suppliers not to use genetically altered corn. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which says biotechnology can produce larger and more nutritious crops, accused Frito-Lay of caving in to anti-biotech activists. Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists applauded the decision, disclosed last week. The company said it was acting in response to consumers' worries and not to protests.